Download Chapter 20 Section 1 Democratic Republic of Congo

Chapter 20
Section 1
Democratic
Republic of Congo
Dem. Rep. of Congo
• There are lots of rivers in the
country.
nd
• The Congo River is the 2
longest river in Africa.
• Country is located on the
equator.
• It is bordered by nine
countries.
A) The Land
• It is the 2nd biggest country
in Africa. (#11 in world)
• It is ¼ the size of the United
States.
• There are many landscapes
such as rainforests,
savannas, and highlands.
Rainforest
1) Rainforests
• Tropical Rainforest covers 1/3 of
the country.
• The top of the rainforest forms a
canopy.
• There are more than 750 different
trees that grow in the rainforest.
• The rainforest are being
destroyed at a rapid pace, just
like the rainforests we learned
about in ________
_________.
2) Highlands & Savannas
• There are mountains on the
eastern side of the country.
• Savannas are in the northern and
southern parts of the country.
Animals in Africa
3) Rivers and Lakes
• The Congo River is one of the
world’s longest rivers in the
world.
• It is the country’s highway for
trade and travel.
• Cargo ships travel on the Congo
River to get to the Atlantic Ocean.
• Lake Tanganyika is the world’s
longest freshwater lake, and the
2nd deepest lake in the world.
Lake Tanganyika
4) The Climate
• Tropical Climate
• It is very hot and humid all
year with heavy
rainstorms.
B) The Economy
• GDP:28 billion (#115)
• Mining is the major
economic activity.
• The Dem. Rep. of Congo
ranks #4 in the world in
mining diamonds.
• Who is #1 in the world in
producing diamonds?
1) Energy Sources
• Oil and natural gas deposits, but
rivers are the main source of
energy.
• The country’s rivers can
produce 13% of the world’s
hydroelectricity.
• The Congo river carries more
water than any other river in the
world except the ________
_________.
• 10 million gallons of water rush down
the Congo river every second.
• 2) Farming
• Most people are subsistence
farmers.
• Farmers grow corn, rice and
cassava for families.
• People also hunt wild animals,
and fish in the rivers.
Congo River
C) The People
• 74 million people (#19 world)
• There are over 200 different
ethnic groups.
• The country has been torn
apart by warfare.
• Gov’t- Republic
1) Influences of the Past
• There was a powerful kingdom in
the 1300’s named the Kongo.
• In the late 1400’s the Portuguese
and European traders arrived.
• For 300 years, they enslaved the
african people and shipped them
to the Americas.
Con’t.
• 1878 Belgium’s King Leopold II took
over and named the country Belgian
Congo.
• In 1960 Belgian Congo became an
independent country known as the
Congo.
• 1969-1996 the country was known as
Zaire.
• In 1997, new military government
renamed the country Democratic
Republic of Congo.
Ways of Life
• 70% of the people live in rural
villages.
• The capital city is Kinshasa.
• Kinshasa is a major port on the
Congo River.
• Life expectancy: 56 years old
(#199)
• 1 doctor every 10,000 people
• Literacy Rate- 67%